Coming Home
by Ahava96
Summary: Sue has moved to New York, but upon being kidnapped, she wants to rethink her decision to join a different team. Disclaimer: Do not own any of Sue Thomas characters mentioned in show.  New characters however do belong to me.
1. Chapter 1

Dimitrius came in to the bustling FBI office, his normally cheerful face serious.

"Hey D, what's up?" Tara asked, looking up from her computer.

"I have news people!" Dimitrius called out, motioning for everyone to gather round.

"What's up D?" Bobby asked, perching on the edge of one of the desks.

"Something's happened…" Dimitrius said, a little hesitantly.

"What?" Lucy asked, handing Myles the coffee she had just brought up for him.

"I just got word from the New York F.B.I. branch," he began, holding a piece of paper.

Lucy, who was standing beside Jack, felt him tense up and she knew why. Sue Thomas, their former co-worker had moved to the New York office after Jack started dating Wendy, one of the agents from another office who had transferred in for a while. However Wendy had asked to be transferred out not long after Jack broke up with her.

Dimitrius looked around at everyone in the room, letting his eyes rest sadly on Jack momentarily. "They had a case going. Sue…Sue was undercover with one of their agents and it busted. She's gone missing."

A gasp rippled through the room.

Lucy was the one to speak first. "W-well is there something we can do? Is there some way that we can help get Sue back?"

Dimitrius nodded. "They believe that Sue may have been brought back here, to Washington. They were trying to catch a group of drug traffickers. They almost had them when the drug bust went wrong. Sue was taken by them as a hostage. Their leads tell them that the drug traffickers probably came back here as one of their biggest heads is said to live in Washington."

"We'll do whatever we can to help them," Jack said quickly.

Dimitrius smiled slightly. "I thought you'd say that. Everyone else feels the same way?"

All the people in the office agreed, nodding quickly. Sue was one of them, even though she had moved to New York. She would always be one of them; a member of the team.

"All right," the man handed out some papers. "This is what we know so far. The head of the organization is Martin Hanks. He hasn't technically been caught or charged with anything yet, but the New York F.B.I. is positive that this is their guy. He has a history of possession, trafficking and assault. His two second in commands are Pete Roswell and Jake Long. Both have long rap sheets, possession with intent, illegal fire arms, and physical assault with several victims. If Martin would trust anyone to 'transport' a hostage, it would be those two. We don't know about Jake but Pete Roswell was definitely in New York when Sue was abducted. The few men that were caught aren't talking. We're trying to arrange a deal and an interview with a couple of them. Hopefully someone will talk. Now, let's go, see if there is any word on the street. Get going guys, see if your little birdies are singing today!"

No one laughed at Dimitrius. Everyone was too serious, too worried about their friend. Lucy watched sadly as everyone filed out of the office. She wished that she could do something to help get her friend back. Lucy sat down at her desk and started dialing.


	2. Chapter 2

Jack looked around the dirty bar in distaste. It was a run down building that looked like it could only attract the scum of the city. It was dark and had a damp smell that made Jack's nose curl up in disgust. He was glad that Myles had gone to seek his own informant and had agreed to meet him on the corner later. As Jack sat down at the farthest corner booth where he had agreed to meet his 'birdie' he grimaced. The table was filthy and the glass that was set before him looked as if it had never been cleaned before. "Thanks, no," he said when the waitress asked if he wanted anything else. Frankly, Jack would never have met his informant here if the man hadn't insisted. He would have forgotten about this informant all together if this guy wasn't the type of man who would know something.

"Hudson," a man sat down across from Jack. His face was covered by a large scarf that only left his nose and eyes visible. He also wore a toque low on his forehead and a large, dirty trench coat that might, at one time, have been beige.

"Hi Saul," Jack sat back in the booth and tried to appear at ease. "So, what's been going on?"  
The man appeared jumpy. His black eyes were small, black and beady, never looking at Jack for too long. He kept them moving, always scanning the room, looking towards the nearest exit. He rubbed his hands together. "Nothing, nothing," his voice was raspy, but quivery.

Jack fixed the man with a stare. "Nothing? So you haven't heard about any FBI agent being kidnapped lately?"

Saul's eyes opened wider. "An-an FBI agent?" he licked his lips and took a sip from the dirty glass that Jack pushed towards him. "Should I h-have heard anything?"

"I don't know, should you?" Jack asked, shrugging. "I just would have thought that if someone had caught an agent, especially a New York one, it would be pretty big news on the street. Have you heard anything?" Jack asked again, trying to appear casual. After all, Saul was his last informant of the day to meet. Every minute wasted was a minute longer that Sue…Jack shut his mind off from that line of thinking. "Well?" he prompted when Saul sat, looking down at the beer glass in his hands.

Saul looked up then and glanced around quickly before motioning Jack in closer. "I heard…something," he said quietly, looking around once more to check the area. "There was this one guy, Manny somethin' or other. He was in the bar—" he pointed to the bar behind him. "He was drunk. I heard him say something about a pretty girl the feds were looking for. Her name was Sam, Sarah, something or other."  
"Sue," Jack looked away and had the urge to pound the table. So the gang really did have her!

"Yeah, yeah that was it," Saul said, leaning forward excitedly and licking his lips again. "Sue. The guy said that she wasn't telling what she was up to that night. They took her for 'protection' he said. Though how some chick with a dog could protect a guy like him I don't know," Saul shrugged, taking another large gulp of his amber liquid.

Jack sat back and closed his eyes, cursing inwardly. He had still been hoping—unreasonably but still hoping—that the woman wasn't Sue, that someone had made a mistake. Knowing that she had a dog with her just confirmed that it was her, it was Sue. "Do you know where…Manny was going, Saul? Do you know where he was keeping her?" Jack whipped out his black notebook and began writing the details of his talk with Saul.

"He didn't say. He was piss drunk. He probably would have said more if this big guy hadn't come in looking for him. The guy was mad that Manny had gotten drunk at all, slapped him good, sobered him up quick. Manny apologized. He called the other guy Pete. Said something about going to see Martin, down on Cook street."

"Martin?" Jack jumped on the name like a starving dog to a bone.

Saul jumped and seemed to think that he had said too much. "D-d-did I s-s-say Martin?" he stammered.

Jack nodded. "Yeah, you did. So spill."

"Nuh uh!" Saul held up his hands as if to ward Jack off and looked around quickly.

No one was taking any notice of the two men. They were all too busy drinking their sorrows away in a place that could only help to make their lives worse.

"I'm through talking to you, Hudson. I gave you all I got. You ain't gonna get any more from me!" he said and got hurriedly to his feet, grabbed the glass of beer, downed the rest in one gulp and ran out the door.

Jack sighed. He knew from experience that once Saul decided to clam up about something, it was going to take time to get him to talk again. Jack sighed once more. It was time that he couldn't afford to waste. The waitress came over then. "Want anything else, hon?" she asked, a slim, white hand on her hip.

Jack looked up at the scantily dressed woman.

She was wearing an almost too-small black blouse unbuttoned to the third, showing a hint of a black bra. Her blond air was done up in a high ponytail at the back of her head, only a wisp or two escaping to frame her face. She wore high heeled black boots that looked as if they must be killing her and, up her slim legs, just above her knee, there was a tight, leather black skirt.

"No, I don't think so," Jack said, looking into the woman's surprisingly soulful and soft blue eyes. He had thought that most of the people working here would probably be hardened by life and the streets.

"Well then let me get your tab," she said, and sauntered over to the bar.

One of the men sitting on a stool, drinking, leered at the woman and reached over, laying a filthy hand on her skirt, just below her back.

She turned around and smacked him hand.

"Awww come on Luanne," the man drawled.

Jack almost rolled his eyes. He hated seeing women being mistreated. "Uhhh Luanne?" he called, holding his hand up.

Luanne turned, her eyes grateful. With a smile at the man sitting at the bar, she walked away and stood at Jack's table. "Here you are hon." Taking a pen from behind her ear, she wrote on the back of is receipt an address and phone number. "I get off at seven," she whispered.

Jack shook his head, color rising to his cheeks. "Uh, no thanks," he shifted uncomfortably in his chair, looking for his wallet to pay the waitress.  
"No," Luanne shook her head. "I really think you ought to come," she said, widening her blue eyes meaningfully.

Jack stood up. "Sorry, but I'm not in to that kind of thing," he said, shaking his head.

Luanne grabbed his arm. "I know more about Manny," she said quietly.

Jack's eyes widened and he gripped the receipt. "I-I'll be there," he said.

Luanne smiled, her coy look back on her face. "Good, see you sugar," she said, waving her fingers at him as he walked out the door.


	3. Chapter 3

Jack stood on the street corner, his hands clutched together inside his black gloves and his black coat collar pulled up high. Myles was late. Jack checked his watch. He only hoped that Myles was late because one of his informants had good information.

"Jack," Myles came up beside his partner.

Jack looked over at the other man. "Finally. Did you get any information?"

Myles shrugged. "No one's talking. This Martin fellow must be very influential in the slums. What about you? Were any of your birdies, 'singing'?"

Jack nodded. "I talked to Saul."

Myles wrinkled his nose. "Saul? He was that dirty fellow that we met on the Paulson case wasn't he?"

Jack nodded again as the two men walked along the street back towards FBI headquarters. "He told me that a man, Manny, came into the bar last night. He got drunk, talked about how they were holding a woman and dog. I'm not sure whether they knew she was FBI. They said she wasn't talking. Myles," Jack turned to his long-time colleague, "I think they might be torturing her."

Myles sighed and shook his head. "Ahh the brutality of the uncivilized."


	4. Chapter 4

Once the two had gotten back to headquarters, Jack filled the rest of the team in on what he had learned. This was added to what Bobby said he heard from one of his informants. He said that someone heard about Pete Roswell definitely being in town. He was spotted in several of the night clubs in the bad part of town.

"I was in the bar today meeting Saul and the waitress said that she could give me more information. I'm meeting her at this address tonight at 7:30," Jack put in.

Dimitrius shook his head. "Not without backup," he said. "It could be a trap. Bobby, you'll go in with Jack, Myles, you and I will watch outside in two separate cars. We'll all be wired. Tara, you and Lucy will be here, monitoring everything. We'll meet back here at six thirty. Before you leave though, I want to introduce you to Leonard Parkins. He is Sue's partner."

The volume in the office immediately dropped as everyone fixed the tall, rugged blonde with a piercing gaze.

To give him credit, Leonard didn't even squirm even though the looks that Bobby and Jack were sending his way could definitely have been killers.

"Hi," Leonard said, smiling at the team. His smile encompassed everyone except that it didn't quite reach his steel grey eyes.

Bobby raised his eyebrows at the coolness of the tone and crossed his arms, his face forbidding.

Jack, looking around at his colleagues, inwardly rolled his eyes and, deciding to be the bigger man, stepped forward. "Jack Hudson," he said, his voice cool but still polite as he extended his hand.

"Nice to meet you," Leonard said, taking Jack's hand and squeezing a little harder than was probably necessary. "I've heard a lot about you, about all of you," he said, looking around at the collected team. There was silence, as if Leonard was waiting for a response of the same type.  
Lucy stepped forward and gave everyone, especially Jack, an apologetic look before speaking. "I've heard a lot about you too," she said.

Jack's gaze went to Lucy quickly but he wisely refrained from saying anything.

To break the tension, Dimitrius stepped forward again, in between Jack and Leonard who were still standing almost nose to nose.

"Well everyone, better get ready for the big night. Go kiss your families good-bye because you might not be coming back," Dimitrius joked even though they all new it was an extreme possibility. "Leonard, let's go talk at my desk. We can discuss more of the details from that night." Turning back to his friends, Dimitrius added, "I'll have Leonard fill you in when you get here at six-thirty. Everyone's time is there own till then."

The whole team nodded but no one moved to leave the office.

Lucy looked around at her friends and had to look away again as her eyes filled with tears. She missed her former room mate, Sue, missed her more than she wanted to admit. To see all their friends working together, willing to help try to find her, made Lucy glad that she was part of such a team.

Going over to the coffee machine, she got the hot drink for everyone, setting it on their desks, before going back to her own and sitting down. With a few clicks, Lucy opened up the internet and began typing away.

"Lucy," the voice to her left was quiet.

Lucy looked up and closed her brown eyes for a moment when she saw Jack standing there.

"Sue talked to you about her new partner?" Jack's voice was slightly strained and hoarse. "Sue talked to you period?"

Lucy nodded and smiled wryly. "What, you expected her to stop talking to me just because she moved to New York?" she asked. She had almost added 'because you broke her heart,' but had managed to keep that piece of information to herself.

Jack shrugged, suddenly awkward. "Well…no…."

Lucy smiled and patted Jack's hand. "Sue still talks to me Jack. We are friends, even if she is in New York. She was my room mate. And I've told her time and time again that if she ever wants to be room mates again, my apartment is always open to her."

Jack smiled and sat down in the wooden guest chair by Lucy's desk. "How is Sue anyway?" he asked, a little hesitantly.

"She's good," Lucy said. "She misses D.C. though, misses the team." Misses you. The unspoken sentence hung in the air.

Jack shifted a little uncomfortably, color rising to his cheeks.

Lucy smiled in a self satisfied sort of way and sat back, knowing that Jack probably had more questions.

"So…how long has she been partners with this, Leonard guy?" Jack asked, getting to the main question.

"Since she transferred to the Big Apple," Lucy said.

Jack almost moaned. So Sue had had four months to get to know this Leonard. "Does she…talk about him a lot?" he asked.  
Lucy nodded, her eyes sad. She had to tell Jack the truth even though it was her sneaking suspicion that Sue talked about Leonard so much in her emails and phone calls to try to convince Lucy—and herself—that she was doing just fine in New York without her team.


	5. Chapter 5

Six thirty arrived quickly. Lucy had just returned with takeout supper for everyone, and they all sat eating as Dimitrius and Jack went over the plan for that night. Once everyone was filled in, they split up into their groups. Tara handed out microphones and ear pieces to everyone, making sure that they were all working and hidden before allowing anyone out of the office.

Lucy looked around at the assembled team and asked, "Guys, is there really such a need to make this meeting a big deal?"

Dimitrius nodded. "Normally we wouldn't Luce, but this could be a trap. And they already have one FBI agent, whether they know it or not. We don't want to take any chances."

Lucy nodded, understanding, and fixed Myles' collar to hide the microphone. "Be careful," she admonished him, then let her dark eyes sweep the rest of the men on their team.

"We will," Bobby reassured her, leaning casually on Tara's desk. "We'll watch ourselves and get Sue back in the bargain."

Tara did a quick sound check before giving everyone the a-ok.

Checking his watch, Dimitrius announced that they still had time to listen to Leonard's version of what happened before they had to go.

Everyone leaned against something, Lucy, holding a mug of steaming coffee in her trembling hands.

"We were supposed to be watching how a bust went down," Leonard said. "I know that it's risky, but it was stupid of them to do it in a bar, no matter how safe a location it proved to be in the past. Sue and I were sitting at one of the tables when the agents came in. We didn't have time to get up and identify ourselves as F.B.I before one of the men grabbed Sue. I didn't want to blow her cover. See, we had been posing as a couple-"

Jack made a noise low in his throat at that, one only Lucy, who was standing beside him heard.

"If those guys knew that we were cops and had been watching them all that time…Sue wouldn't have stood a chance." Leonard's head drooped and he clenched his hands. "We…we couldn't do anything," he growled, his voice harsh. "She was their hostage and we just had to let her go. They took Levi too….There was nothing we could do," Leonard finished, looking up at the team and daring them to say he could have done something differently.

He was met by several hostile stares—from Bobby, Jack and even Myles—and sad gazes from Lucy, Tara and Dimitrius.

"Anyway," Leonard said, breaking the gazes, "Since then we've been on their tail. I hope that your girl tonight can shed some light on what we're up against," he added, glancing at Jack, a challenge in his steel grey eyes.

Dimitrius, sensing the tension, stepped forward and clapped his hands. "Well people, that's all we have to say. We should get going now. Jack, you and Bobby leave first. Myles and I will leave a little afterwards. Everyone know the plan?" he waited for the confirmation nods. "Okay then, let's go."

"Wait!" Leonard stepped forward. "Can I come along?"  
Myles rolled his eyes. "Well, if you insist on being here instead of in New York, I suppose we might as well put you to some use," he sighed.

Jack and Bobby laughed. They knew Myles was just waiting for an opportunity to bait Leonard. He didn't like the new agent any more than they did.


	6. Chapter 6

It took fifteen minutes for Jack and Bobby to arrive and Luanne's apartment building. Pulling their hats low and their coat collars high, they went up the large stone steps. Her apartment was on the third floor. It was a nice building. "Must get the money from her tips," Bobby muttered to his friend.

Jack grinned as he raised his hand to knock on the plain door.

A young woman opened the door, blond hair falling around her shoulders. Her blue eyes opened in shock but then her face relaxed into a smile. "Mr. Hudson," she said, opening the door wider to admit him and Bobby. "And you are…?"

With a glance at Jack to confirm that they were using their real names, Bobby extended his hand. "Bobby Manning," he said, his accent strong. "A pleasure."

"Luanne?" Jack wasn't positive. The young woman standing before him looked so different from the waitress that he had seen just that afternoon. Her face was makeup free except for a slight tint of lip gloss and she was wearing a lot more clothing than she had that afternoon.

The girl nodded and smiled slightly as she hung up their coats in her shuttered hall closet. "Do I look that different?" she asked, leading them in to a comfortably lit living room.

Jack nodded, then shook his head. "I'm sorry, but…you really do."

"Please, sit," Luanne said, motioning to the soft, beige couch.

The two men sat, Jack leaning his elbows on his knees. Luanne really did look different. Her hair was curling attractively around her face, she was wearing a blue, long sleeved shirt with a square neckline and a pair of navy blue sweat pants.

Noticing the way Jack was looking at her, Luanne smiled again. "I dress that way for work because I have to," she said. "It's not an official uniform, but…well, I get more tips that way. I prefer more comfortable clothing to tell you the truth."

Both men smiled.

"Can I offer you anything?" Luanne, ever the waitress, asked.

Bobby shook his head. "No, we're fine. We just want to know why you asked my partner here tonight."

Luanne nodded. "I wondered when we'd be coming to that. You see, I was working the night that…Manny came in. I've noticed that men say more to a pretty face than to another man. That's part of the reason that I dress so feminine," she smiled coyly.

"Well, tell us what you know," Jack said, whipping out his little black notebook that he kept in his left breast pocket. "Please."

Luanne sat back and primly folded her hands in her lap. "I was taking the drink orders, as usual. Manny was already practically drunk. He kept reaching over to pinch my butt or touch me wherever he could reach. Finally, I took a turn behind the bar. He of course slid over and tried to make small talk. I kept the drinks coming just to shut him up. Soon, he was so drunk, he couldn't even see straight. That's when he started talking about the girl. He called her Susan. I think he was trying to impress me or something. He thought I was the type of woman to fall for a bad boy. I'm not though. I am happily in a relationship and will remain in one," she added, glaring at the grinning Jack and Bobby.

"Hey, we're not denying anything," Bobby said, holding his hands palm up.   
Luanne rolled her eyes but a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Of course you're not. Anyway, Manny was rambling on about how the feds were probably looking for their girl. She was their hostage. Then, that big guy, Pete came in. He was furious with Manny. He gave him a couple good ones. I imagine that the hits hurt. I mean, Pete is huge. Anyway, Manny was whimpering like a pup by the time Pete was finished with him. He apologized to Pete over and over, I'm not sure it did any good. Pete said that they were going to pay a visit to Martin something or other. Manny of course ruined the secret when he said, 'on Cook Street?' Pete paid me twenty dollars as a…tip. I think he was trying to 'pay for my silence.'"

"Why didn't you report this?"

Luanne laughed, throwing her head back. "I didn't know who to go talk to. I mean, I could get hurt if someone saw me ago and talk about it. But I wanted to do the right thing."

Bobby nodded, jotting down the gist of the conversation. "We can put a plain clothes man on your tail if you'd like," he offered.

Luanne shook her head. "Not now. If things get serious, or…worse, I'll ask for a trail. I just hope that you'll find that girl."

Jack smiled a little sadly and just hoped that, for Luanne's sake, no one found out about their conversation. "Thank you for your help Luanne," he said.

Luanne stood up and shook the hands of both agents. "Let me know how it all turns out," she said.

"We will," Bobby promised and, grabbing their coats from the front closet, they left the apartment.

Once they were out n the cool night air, Bobby whistled. "Not at all what we were expecting, was she?" he asked.

Jack smiled. "I think I like that kind of surprise," he said. He sobered up when he remembered the absolute confirmation that Luanne had given. It was definitely Sue. Going back, he unlocked their car and climbed in the driver's side. Once Bobby was in beside him, he turned to the Aussi. "Well Bobby, what's our next move?"


	7. Chapter 7

Back in the office, Dimitrius sent everyone home. Soon, only Jack was left, sitting forlornly at his desk, looking over meaningless papers with endless words. He put down his pen with a sigh and sat back, his hands behind his neck. His eyes focused on the picture from last year's office New Year's party. There were smiles on everyone's faces, but immediately, Jack's eyes went to the woman standing beside him. Her blond hair was falling gracefully around her shoulders, her eyes lit up with happiness and her cheeks flushed with excitement. She was…beautiful. Jack sighed and, putting his elbows on his desk, put his face in his hands. And because she had moved to New York, she was now in trouble. "She should have stayed here," Jack muttered to himself, getting up and grabbing his coat. "She should have stayed here.


	8. Chapter 8

Sue woke up and for a minute, didn't know where she was. Her head felt heavy and she couldn't see anything in the pitch black. "Levi?" Even without hearing her voice, she knew that it was scratchy and dry. Sue tried to move her hands, but she couldn't. Alarm filled her as she realized that the groggy images that flitted through her mind from two days ago were real. She had been abducted! The bust had gone down and she had been caught. Sue sighed. At least they didn't know she was F.B.I…yet….. "Levi?" Sue tried again, but there was no comforting touch of fur to hand, no cold nose rubbing against her skin, no Levi. Panic began to fill Sue. She had no idea where she was and Levi wasn't with her! Fighting the panic, Sue took a deep breath and focused on what she knew. She shouldn't worry. Someone would come for her soon. Jack, or Bobby, or Myles or…Sue stopped and shook her head. 'What are you thinking?' she reprimanded herself. 'You left that team, you're not part of it anymore. You have a new team. And Leonard will be looking for you. So will Lisa, Sam and James. They'll all be looking for you.' Sue let out a long sigh. She knew that her partner, Leonard would be anxiously looking for her. Her whole team would. But in her gut, she wished that it was her old team that was looking for her. They knew her, they cared. They would do whatever they could to find her. Sue leaned her head back against what seemed like a hard brick wall. "Please," she prayed. "Please let them find me."


	9. Chapter 9

"Well ladies and gentlemen, we have a lead," Bobby said, coming in to the office the next morning with a smile on his face.

Lucy walked quickly over to Bobby. "What is it?" she asked.

Bobby held the paper tauntingly over Lucy's head. "What's the magic word?" he asked, his white teeth flashing in his tanned face.

Lucy rolled her eyes and stepped away from Bobby. "Dimitrius!!" she moaned, turning to the superior.

Dimitrius smiled and grabbed the paper away from Bobby, reading it over quickly before a larger smile lit his face too. "Okay people, we have an address for Pete Roswell. Jack, Sue—" Dimitrius paused, a little put off by the name he had just said. "Jack, Myles," he said firmly stressing the second name, "Go see what our friend, Pete Roswell has to say."

The two men nodded. Dimitrius saying Sue's name seemed to strengthen everyone's resolve to find their missing comrade, even Myles. It was him that broke the silence by finally saying, "All right Jack, let's go get Roswell."

"Shhh," Jack cautioned Myles as they came out of the elevator outside Peter Roswell's apartment.

Myles glared at Jack. "It is not my first day on the job Jack," he hissed.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Then be quiet," he replied.

Myles didn't dignify Jack with an answer, only stopped to knock on the apartment door of room 3B. "Not a very nice place, is it?" Myles muttered, looking down at the dirty, plain, brown carpet in distaste.

Jack didn't answer. There was a noise on the other side that suggested someone moving around. Hoping that their suspect was not just about to escape, Jack quickly kicked in the door just to see a tall, burly man run into another room. "Pete Roswell, F.B.I!" he shouted, chasing the man.

Myles, looking put out from being interrupted in the middle of a sentence followed Jack quickly.

"Stop! F.B.I, freeze!" Jack shouted when he saw the man trying to hurriedly open the door to get out onto the balcony and fire escape. "I have a gun!" he added. When the man didn't stop, Jack sighed and dove. As he fell, Jack knocked over an expensive looking vase, but managed to grab onto the man's legs. "Stop," he grunted, holding on tight, praying that the man didn't have a gun as well.

"F.B.I., freeze!" Myles yelled, finally coming into the room and pointing his gun at the struggling pair.

Seeming to know that it was over, for now, the man stopped struggling.

"Put your hands up," Myles said. "And Jack, get off his legs, please."

Jack glared at the man as he got to his feet, still holding on tightly to the struggling Pete Roswell. "Stop moving," he growled.

The man struggled once more, before stopping and giving Jack a defiant glare over his shoulder.

"Nice of you to show up," Jack said sarcastically to Myles.

"Anything I can do to help," Myles said with a smile.

"Well ladies and gents, we have Roswell," Jack said, coming into the office. "Bobby, will you and D come down to the interrogation room?"

Bobby nodded and took a last sip of his coffee. He was one of the best interrogators in the field. "Sure mate," he said, and then grinned as he rubbed his hands together. "This is going to be fun.

"We'll be right back," Jack promised Lucy and Tara who were looking anxiously out the door.

Both women glanced at each other, and Tara smiled grimly. "At least we know someone will have fun today."

Lucy, shut the filing cabinet with a slam. "I hope they kill that creep!" she said vehemently.

Tara looked at her friend, surprised.

Lucy returned Tara's look with a shrug. "They have Sue," she said simply.


	10. Chapter 10

Sue woke with a jerk and winced in pain. Someone had just kicked her. It was still pitch black. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Sue saw the silhouettes of a large man, looking down at her.

"What do you want?" she asked.

A light flashed on, highlighting the man's lips making Sue cry out and try to cover her eyes. Her hands however were still tied up, so instead, Sue shut her eyes tight to block out a blinding light.

A rough hand went under Sue's chin and forced her to open her eyes.

"Look at me," the voice said, forcing Sue to look at his lips.

"I'm looking," she said quietly. "Where's Levi?" she asked.

"Beside you," the man answered.  
Sue's eyes darted to her right side quickly and widened. The brilliant golden retriever's fur was matted with dirt, his eyes were dull and sad. There was a muzzle on his nose, keeping him from barking.

"Levi," Sue whispered.

From the movement of his throat, Sue could tell that Levi whimpered.

She tried to convey her sympathy. "It's okay," she said, trying to keep her voice calm. "We'll be okay."

The hand forced her to look back at him. "That's what you think Miss Thompson," he said, using Sue's undercover name.

Sue tried to keep the relief from registering on her face. So he didn't know that she was F.B.I. When she was undercover, she had been known as Sarah Thompson.

"The F.B.I wants you for some reason Miss Thompson and I want to know why."

"Because I'm a hostage," she said. "You kidnapped me. That's why they want me back."

The man grinned through the mask he was wearing. "I think there's something else behind this Sarah," he said, stressing her name. "And I intend to find out just what is so special about you."

"Nothing," Sue insisted. "I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Sue saw that he let out a bark of laughter. "I'll say."

The light went off then, plunging Sue back into darkness once again. She couldn't help letting out a squeak of fear and, even though she couldn't see, a gut instinct told her that the man laughed as he left her prison.


	11. Chapter 11

"So mate, we got a call from the New York F.B.I," Bobby said, leaning casually on the interrogation desk and looking down at the silent Pete Roswell.

Pete didn't even look at Bobby, just kept his gaze fixed solidly on the mirror in front of him.

Bobby looked down at the burly man. His sandy hair was crew cut and his blue-grey eyes were as cold as ice. He looked like he had been carved from stone, with the way he sat, chin jutting strongly out, cheekbones jutting high in his face.

"Do you know what they said? They said that you were at a drug bust in New York when a hostage was taken. And you're here. So where's the hostage? See, simple reasoning tells us that if you're here, the hostage is too. So mate, where is this…Sarah Thompson?" Bobby was careful to use Sue's under cover name.

Pete still sat there, silent. Obviously he wasn't about to talk.

Bobby sighed. "Well Pete, when your other friends are brought in for questioning, I'm sure they'll spill. Because you see, we're the F.B.I. and we have ways to make people's sentences shorter. We're good with making deals with people. So buddy, I'll give you some time to think about my offer. I'll see you later." Bobby finished speaking and went into the hall way, closing the room door behind him. "Damn, damn, damn," he swore, leaning against the bright, white washed wall.

"You tried, buddy," Jack said, patting Bobby's shoulder comfortingly.

Bobby groaned, pressing the heels of his hands to his eyes. "I know. That guy is a tough nut to crack."

Myles, coming out of the room behind the mirror shrugged as well. "You'll get him next time. Or you'll get one of his buddies…." Myles stopped talking when Lucy stepped out of the elevator, her dark face sad, and her eyes wide.   
"What's wrong, Lucy?" Dimitrius asked, coming to stand beside Myles.

"We just got a call from Metro P.D.," Lucy said quietly, her arms wrapped around herself.

"And?" Bobby asked, standing up straighter.

"Manny, the drunk guy from the bar…he's dead."  
Silence reigned for a few minutes until Lucy broke it again.

"These guys," she said, still stunned, "They're ruthless."


	12. Chapter 12

"Okay guys, right now, the forensics lab is going over Manny with a fine toothcomb. So far, a red fiber has been found on his clothes. It doesn't match the carpet he was found in so we're thinking that maybe it came from being transported in a car. It may have been the car that Sue was transported in. Tara, run this through the data base and pull up all the vehicles with the same fibers in their cars in both the New York and D.C. area. Cross check the names and see if you can come up with anything." Dimitrius finished, coming into the bull pen and handing the agent a file.

Tara nodded and took the file, turning quickly to her computer and typing frantically. A frown creased the middle of Tara's forehead. "Give me a while guys," she said, her tongue just peeking out of the corner of her mouth.

Dimitrius nodded and turned to the rest of the team, shooing them away from Tara's desk so she could concentrate.

"What's our next move then, D?" Jack asked. He was anxious to get going again. It bugged Jack to be sitting safely in his office while Sue was out there somewhere probably in danger.

"Next move is to go check out these addresses," Tara said triumphantly as papers shot out of the printer. "There are twenty people with the red fiber in their cars in New York. Most of them don't have any criminal records. Five of them have records. One is eighteen, petty theft. He has no connections with Martin Hanks that we can see. Also, he lives in the country now. Next guy is Frank Smithson. He's in jail at the moment, couldn't have had any part with Sue's kidnapping. The other two have minor offenses. We can check them out anyway, but I think the main guy to check out will be Jake Patterson. Jake owns a house a block away from where Sue was kidnapped. I think that it is possible that Patterson is an alias for Jake Long. I'll send some of New York's people to check out his house address there while we check out the house here."

"He has a house here?" Bobby asked, standing up straight suddenly. He clapped his hands and grinned, his white teeth flashing in his tan face. "Woo hoo!" he cheered, smiling at everyone in the office. "What's the address?"

"1312 Cook street," Tara said with a smile.

Jack's serious face relaxed a little. "Seriously?" he asked Tara, a smile starting to blossom on his face.

Tara nodded, smiling as she handed the paper over to Jack.

"Well guys, let's grab out coats and go check out 1312 Cook street," he said. "Unless," he turned back, his hand on the door knob, "Unless there's more car records that we should check out here in D.C."

Tara looked over the records on the computer and shook her head. "No that's about it. But while you're at the house on Cook street, you may want to check out Manuelo Lipton. He owns a car with the same upholstery and fibers as our mystery fiber found on Manny."

"You think…Manny could be Manuelo Lipton?" Lucy asked.

"I'm thinking that in this case, it's best to follow up on all leads," Tara answered, tucking a strand of her dirty blond hair behind her ear.

"Yes, easy for her to say, she's not the one who has to follow up on all those leads," Myles muttered, tightening his tie.

Tara grinned at Myles and shoved the papers into his hands. "There you go Myles," she cooed.

Myles pushed Tara away and stuck his aristocratic nose in the air. "If you are quite finished, I think we should get going," he said.

"I'm going with you," Leonard said, grabbing up his coat.  
Jack and Bobby glared at the man who glared right back. Finally, they exchanged glances and nodded. "Fine," Jack said. "But you better keep up."

Leonard's chest puffed out at that. "I'll have you know that I came out first in my field training class at the academy and I have worked the streets for longer than I can remember. I have an impressive track record Agent Hudson. You will remember that."

Jack grinned wryly. "I'm sure I will." Suddenly, the agent stopped and hit his forehead with a hand. He whirled around and looked at Leonard with a sudden fierceness. "Did Sue have her purse with her when she was kidnapped?" he asked.

Leonard thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Was her Blackberry in it?" Jack asked urgently.

Bobby, who had been looking at his friend strangely up till then, grinned and shook his head at their stupidity.

"Yes. She takes her Blackberry everywhere," Leonard said stiffly, knowing that somehow he was just about to be shown up by the Washington agents.

"Tara, run a trace on Sue's Blackberry for me," Jack said, coming back into the office.

"You can do that?" Leonard asked, astonished.

"What, mate? Sue never told you that her Blackberry was traceable?" Bobby asked, linking both hands behind his neck, just under his brown hair.

Leonard shook his head. "I'm sure my supervisor knew though…."

"I've got something!" Tara's voice broke Leonard out of his musing. "Her Blackberry is here! It's in Washington. And guys…I think it's in Cook Street."  
That was all Jack needed. "D, I think we should get S.W.A.T in on this," he said.   
Dimitrius nodded and picked up the phone on his desk.

"We know where Sue is now," Jack began. "We can act-what are you doing?" he asked Leonard who was on his own cellphone.

"Calling Sue," Leonard said.

"No!" Myles grabbed the phone away and pressed the 'End' button.

"Are you dim?" Bobby asked. "How long have you been working for the F.B.I?"

"Two years," Leonard muttered, looking down at his feet. Then he looked up and glared around the circle of people looking at him with astonishment. "I do have a terrific record though and I have the respect of my fellow agents. I know how to do field work."

Jack closed his eyes, putting a hand over his face. "They put Sue with a rookie," he muttered. Then he glared at Leonard. "You…rookie! You may look tough but let me tell you, Leonard, you're not. You may look older but…God!" Jack turned away, his face red with anger. No one blamed him.

Bobby was looking at Leonard with murder in his eye and even Myles looked unimpressed by the agent.

Dimitrius got off the phone then. "S.W.A.T's ready. They'll meet us there in ten minutes. Everyone gear up, we're going in."  
The whole team nodded, including Leonard who avoided everyone's eyes. He had felt so much older, so much more experienced. Working with these agents showed him how wrong he had been.


	13. Chapter 13

Sue woke up again when she felt her purse being pulled off of her lap.

"It's about time we went through your stuff," the man said.

The lights in the room were on now and Sue could see that she was in what looked to be a basement. There was a broken down washer and dryer in the corner to the left of the rickety looking staircase. Sue frowned. She didn't even remember coming down those stairs. Feeling groggy, Sue guessed that she had been drugged or knocked out at some point. Her wrists were numb and chafed from being tied so long and her legs ached from staying in the same position.

"Have you fed my dog?" Sue asked, trying to keep her voice steady. She wanted to distract the man from going through her purse. She had a hidden zipper in it with a tape recorder and her Blackberry. She prayed he wouldn't find it.

"No," the man snarled, his mouth turning up into a sickening grin.

"How-how long have I been down here?" Sue had lost track of time, sitting in the dark on the hard, cold floor. Some of the pipes above her had leaked and Sue had felt droplets hit her from time to time.

"Two days," he growled.

Sue shivered. She had no idea where she was, had lost track of all amount of time. "Wh-what's the date?" she asked.

"It's March 5," he replied, still going through her purse.

Sue leaned her head back against the wall. It had been March third when the bust had gone wrong. Two very long days had passed since that time. She vaguely remembered having been fed sometime before, but she had been so groggy from sleep, she wasn't sure.

Sue looked over at Levi again. He didn't look well. "Please," she begged, "Please feed my dog."

The man shook his head. "No way, lady," he said, baring his surprisingly sharp yellow teeth. He was a fierce man, sallow skin, but tough, large and well built with jet black hair cut short. "Last time he was unmuzzled he took a chunk out of one of my guys' hand."

"He-he won't," Sue swallowed. "Not if I tell him not to. Or if I feed him. Please."

"He can have this," Jake—for that's who it was—said, throwing a dog cookie down in front of Levi.

Levi managed to open his mouth enough to squish the cookie in between his teeth.

By this time, Jake had finished going through Sue's purse. He hadn't found anything to say she was a cop.

"Why don't you let me go?" Sue asked. "You're safe now, I can't do anything."

"You know who I am," Jake said. "I seen you around the bar back in New York."

"Back in New York?" Sue asked, confused.

"We're in Washington, lady. Where no one knows us and no one knows you're missing." Since he wasn't looking at Sue at that moment, Pete missed the flare of happiness that had entered Sue's eyes. She was in Washington! She was home! The New York F.B.I would have alerted the F.B.I here and she was sure that her team would have been put on the case. They would be looking for her! She would be able to see them all again; Bobby, Myles, Lucy, Tara, Dimitrius…Jack. Sue hated to admit it, even to herself, but he was who she missed the most. The whole time that she had been in New York, she had woken up every morning missing him, missing them. She had come into the office every morning and had to remember all over again that she wasn't in the Washington bullpen. She wouldn't get to tease Myles, or go over her problems with Lucy and Tara. She wouldn't get to laugh at Bobby's bad jokes any more or stare at Jack when he wasn't looking. She missed the fieldwork where it was just the two of them, taking on the world. Sue looked up when Jake jumped.

"What is it?"

Jake hissed at her to be quiet. "There's something vibrating in here," he said.

Sue's face filled with horror that she carefully tried to hide. Someone was calling her???! Who would be that foolish? Leonard. Sue admitted it to herself. For all that her new partner was attractive, chivalrous and completely masculine, he was inexperienced. He made mistakes. And now he was calling her.

"What the—"

Sue looked up in time to see Jake swear.

Inwardly, she swore too. He had found the hidden zipper…and her Blackberry.

"Agent Parkins?" Jake's eyebrows went up when he saw the caller I.D. "So you're in contact with agents are you?" he growled, turning to the cowering woman.

Sue's eyes went wide and she shook her head. "No! No I'm not!" she said. "I-I'm your hostage. They probably found my number in-in my apartment. I don't know any Agent Parkins."

"Me thinks thou doth protest too much," Jake said, surprising Sue with a Shakespearian quote.

"Well, well, well," the man shook his head. "You had us all fooled Miss Thompson. I think I should go talk to the boss about this."

Sue gulped. "The boss?" she forced past her dry lips.

Jake's grin was more like a grimace. "Martin," he answered and turned, going up the steps again. "Bye," he waved evilly at the top of the stairs. Then he closed the door.

Sue closed her eyes, waiting for the lights to go off, but they didn't. She breathed a sigh of relief. Relaxing a little, she tensed up again when she remembered who Jake was going to see. Martin. Sue could only assume that he was talking about Martin Hanks, the head of the operation.

Sue closed her eyes momentarily. "Please let them find me soon," she prayed. She felt that her time was running out.


	14. Chapter 14

"All right, so this is the plan. Bobby, some S.W.A.T guys and I are going to go in the front. Myles, you, Dimitrius, Leonard and the other S.W.A.T members go in the back. Tara and Lucy, you stay here, watch for any signs of movement in the house. You'll be with the tech guys. Everyone got the plan?" Jack asked, holding his gun tightly in his hand. Finally, they had the first major lead in this case and he couldn't wait to do something about it.

"What do you see Tara?" Jack asked, checking one more time before going to take up his post.

"There's a car in the back," Tara said, reporting what she was being told from the other surveillance van at the back of the house. "It has a stolen license plate," she added.

"There's no sign of movement but-wait! I just saw a guy walk past the front window. They are definitely in there."  
Jack nodded. "All right guys, to our posts." He and Bobby quickly got to theirs with the S.W.A.T team behind them. He waited until he got Myles' confirmation that the other team was in place before signaling 'go.' "Remember guys," he said into his mouthpiece, "Sue may be here and these guys probably have guns. Be careful."

When they got close enough, Jack and Bobby broke into a run. They didn't stop to knock on the door, just kicked it open. "F.B.I!" Jack yelled, adrenaline pumping through his veins. There were two men in the man hall. Jack let S.W.A.T take care of them. None of them were Jake Long or Martin Hanks.

"Freeze!" Bobby yelled suddenly, looking to Jack's left.

Two big men were standing in what looked to be a very drab living room.

One was tall with jet black hair, sallow skin and a sullen expression. The other man was well dressed and looked completely out of place in the sparsely furnished room. He wore a navy blue suit over a crisp white shirt. His blond hair was brushed back in a cowlick and his blue eyes showed no expression when the F.B.I came barging into his living room.

Jack kept his gun trained on the two men. Something in his gut told him that they were the ones the F.B.I was after. "Where is she?" he asked, his voice harsh.

"Where is who?" Martin looked slightly surprised. "I assure you, Sir, there are no illegal activities going on here. I can't imagine why the F.B.I would want to come barging into my…humble abode."

"You bastard," Bobby flew forward, losing his control.

Jack wasn't surprised since pinning Martin to the wall seemed like a good idea right now.

Bobby took hold of Martin's collar and shook the man. "You tell me where she is you son of a bitch or I swear you will never see the light of day again."

"Tell him," Jack told Martin lazily, his gun still trained on Jake Long. "There's no reasoning with my partner when he's in this mood." He tried to sound unconcerned, but underneath, Jack was seething. He knew exactly why Bobby was angry, he wanted to find Sue just as desperately as Jack.

When Martin didn't answer, Bobby let go of him and turned to Jake.

The man still wore a surprised expression on his face, but he kept his eyes and voice cool. "You won't get anything from me, Agent," he said and spat at Bobby's feet.

"Why you—" Bobby swore and surged forward again, pinning Jake against the wall.

Even though Jake was probably bigger, Bobby was angry, and he had the gun on his side.

"Jack, Bobby," Myles and Dimitrius came into the room.

"Cuff 'em," Jack said bitterly.

Bobby held each man down as Myles strapped the cuffs around their thick wrists.

"Have you found her yet?" Dimitrius asked Jack.

Jack shook his head. "Have all the men been found?"  
Myles nodded, hauling Martin to his feet. "Yes. The house is clear now. We'll take care of these two scumbags, you and Bobby go look."

Jack nodded and lowered his gun. He knew that Myles and Dimitrius wouldn't let the two men get away. "Let's go, Bobby," Jack said, and hurried out of the room.

They checked upstairs first. There were a couple bedrooms, all badly decorated. Most of the walls were a prison grey color and the cots in the rooms were like those Jack knew were in the army. There was no attic entrance that could be found and neither Bobby or Jack could see any secret passageways.

"Let's go downstairs, mate," Bobby said, trying to keep his voice still cheery.

Jack knew that his friend was thinking of the possibility that they were already too late to save their friend. He tried to block that image out of his mind; of Sue lying spread eagled, her bright brown eyes dull with death, her hair spread out around her, hands at her sides, face white like the dead. He shook his head and looked at Bobby, saw the concern radiating out of Bobby's kind hazel eyes.

"We'll find her Jack," Bobby assured him, clapping him on the shoulder. "We'll find her."


	15. Chapter 15

Sue looked up at the ceiling when she saw Levi's gaze shift there. She knew that Levi would have investigated, but he was tied to one of the beams supporting the rickety basement. He lay on the ground, tired and probably hungry, like Sue herself. She saw his black eyes dart upwards and realized that he must hear something. Someone was coming.

Sue shivered and knew that she couldn't just sit there like a duck waiting to be shot. She had to do something. Determinedly, she tried to pull her hands free, again, without success. Tossing her blond hair away from her face, Sue concentrated on getting on her knees.

Her legs ached in protest when she moved them, her ankles locked together, but Sue knew that if she just got to her knees, she might be able to move away. Finally, she managed to swing herself up! Only to fall on her face.

Sue winced as she hit the concrete hard. Too hard. Her last thought before she drifted into unconsciousness was, "I'm never going to see Jack now."

"Bobby!" Jack had found a door in the kitchen.   
Bobby came running, closing the door to the pantry that he had been exploring. "Find something?" he asked.

Jack nodded, but pointed to the keyhole in the old door. "It's locked."

Bobby grinned. "That's never stopped us before, has it mate?" he asked.

Jack grinned back, knowing exactly what Bobby was thinking.   
A minute later, the lock was blown off, and Bobby was smilingly blowing the barrel of his gun.

"Let's go," Jack said, knowing, even as Bobby knew, that this was the last place to look. 'Please let her be here,' Jack prayed as he opened the door that he realized led to the basement.

The light was already on when Jack started walking down the rickety wooden steps. He was careful, not trusting the old stairs to support him completely. One hand clutched the railing while his eyes searched the basement.

"Levi!" Bobby's happy shout rang out.

Jack's eyes sprang to where Bobby was pointing and a smile came to his face. Regardless of the rickety staircase, he practically flew down the last few steps to where the golden retriever was tied up. Quickly, he took off the dog's leather muzzle and was rewarded by a lick on the hand. "Where's Sue?" he asked the dog.

Levi whined and wagged his tail, seemingly indicating the rope tying him up.

Bobby, patting Levi on the head, knelt down to untie him. "There ya go, boy," he said when the knot finally came free.

As soon as he was loose, Levi rushed over to the corner behind him.

Jack, looking at Bobby, followed.

And there she was. She wasn't lying spread-eagled, but face down, her hair fanning out around her. Her ankles were tied up and Jack could also see her red wrists behind her back.

His eyes filled with tears. "Bastards," he muttered. Gently, he untied her hands and then her legs, hoping against hope that she wasn't dead.

Bobby stood back respectfully, waiting for his friend to be done. His own eyes were wet too, but when asked about it later, he swore that it was 'the dust in the basement.'


	16. Chapter 16

Jack felt for a pulse in the woman's wrist, gently holding on to her. "She's alive," he sighed in relief, and turned her over gently. He took her hand and held it tight, squeezing, as he patted her shoulder. "Sue? Sue?" he knew that she couldn't hear him, but it didn't matter. He had found her!

Sue opened her eyes and blinked, confused for a minute. "Jack?" she asked, her voice quiet. Her eyes moved past him to Bobby, hovering anxiously. "Bobby." A smile lit her features as she snuggled closer into Jack's arms. She was faint from hunger, but she didn't know it. "I knew you'd come for me," she whispered as Jack hugged her to him. "I knew you'd come."

"She passed out," Jack announced, clearing his suspiciously clogged throat.  
"They starved her," Bobby said, shaking his head sadly.

Jack nodded and carefully got to his feet, Sue cradled in his arms. Her head rested against his shoulder and Jack almost burst by how…right it felt. He carried her gently up the stairs, not releasing his tight hold on her for a minute.

"D, Myles, Leonard!" Bobby called out. "We found her."


	17. Chapter 17

Sue awoke in a warm bed. There were covers up to her chin and she felt surprisingly comfortable. There was something familiar about the bed. Sue opened her eyes and saw Lucy sleeping in the chair next to the bed. Her heart gave a glad leap as she realized that she hadn't been hallucinating when she had woken up to find Jack holding her. She looked around the room and tears filled her eyes. It was her old room! Lucy hadn't changed anything. Sue smiled and put her hands on top of the quilt that Lucy's grandmother had made for her for Christmas. It was a sky blue with a purple border and a large, purple flower in the middle. Sue loved it, but had left it behind when she left for New York, saying that Lucy should keep it for when Sue came to visit. Stroking the comforter absentmindedly, Sue took in the walls that were still the same color they had been when she left, the rug on the floor that she loved to sink her toes into when she got out of bed in the morning, and…Levi! Sue smiled to see him curled up on the doggie bed that Lucy kept for him.

"Lucy," Sue whispered.

The other woman stirred and opened her eyes blearily. "Sue!" she cried. "You're up!"

Sue nodded and sat up, ready to get out of bed. "Yes," she said. "I'm back!"  
Lucy nodded and tried to hold back the tears by biting her lip. She couldn't. "I was so worried," she said, throwing her arms around her former-room mate.

Sue wrapped her arms around Lucy and hugged her tight. Both women were crying, but unwilling to let go of each other to wipe their tears.

Finally, Lucy sat back, sniffing. "Tara just left," Lucy said. "She's sleeping in my room," she added at Sue's puzzled glance.

Sue smiled and took in the face that she knew so well. "I missed you," she admitted, signing it as well.

"I missed you too," Lucy signed. "Are you all right?"

Sue nodded and stretched. "Just a couple bruises," she assured her friend. Looking around the room, she gestured. "I see it's all the same," she said.

"I wanted to keep it for you," Lucy signed to Sue.

Sue smiled and held Lucy's hand tight in her own. "Thank you," she whispered.

Lucy nodded and managed to smile. Then, she got up. "So, you hungry?" she asked.  
Sue nodded eagerly. "Starving!"

Lucy laughed and helped Sue out of bed. Her legs were still stiff from sitting in the same position for so long. She stumbled a little, but caught herself.

"I'm okay," she assured Lucy, who had rushed forward to help her.

"We took you to the doctor before you came here," Lucy said. "He said that besides being hungry, you were fine."  
"Good to know," Sue said, smiling as Levi jumped to his feet at the sound of her voice.

"Tara!" Lucy called as they walked down the hall.

Tara's sleep tousled head poked out of Lucy's room. Her white blouse was rumpled and her brown pants had creases all over them. Still, she shrieked with delight when she saw her friend. "Sue!" she cried, embracing the other woman. "Oh you're awake! I missed you so much!" she said, the two rocking from side to side.

When Tara finally stepped back, her cheeks were rosy and her eyes bright with pleasure. "We missed you so much!" she said.

Sue took both Lucy and Tara's hands. "I missed you too," she admitted.


	18. Chapter 18

After they had eaten breakfast, Lucy and Tara had Sue tell them all about her life in New York.

She smiled, and obliged, telling them about her new team, her new partner and her kidnapping. "I'm so glad that you found me," she finished. "Leonard called me. They found out he was an agent. They were getting suspicious," she said.

Lucy placed a hand on Sue's shoulder and Tara held the other woman's hand. "We're glad you're back," Lucy said. "You can stay here as long as you want."

Sue smiled. "Thanks Luce, I'd love to. But what I really want now is to go to the office," she said.

Lucy and Tara exchanged looks. "Are you sure?" Tara asked.  
Sue nodded and smiled as she cleared the dishes. "I feel fine," she assured the skeptical women. "I really want to go in."

Lucy nodded. "Let's go get dressed then. Tara, you can borrow some of my clothes. Sue, I still have some of yours."

"Thank you," Sue said, pressing Lucy's hand gently as she went back to her old room. "I'll change now."

Twenty minutes later, Lucy pulled up in front of the F.B.I building in her car. All three women got out, Sue, with a bright smile on her face.

"I've missed it here," she told her friends, hugging herself. "This is my home."  
Lucy and Tara exchanged looks as Sue went up the steps and through the large, glass doors. Sue didn't see them, until she turned around. "Come on guys, I want to get up to the bull pen!" she said.

Levi did too it seemed. He ran in circles around the three women, bringing them closer together. When they were all side by side again, he relaxed a little but got excited all over again when Tara stopped to get a drink at the water fountain.  
"Levi, I didn't know you were part herding dog," Tara said as Levi brought her back to Sue and Lucy.

Without even waiting for Sue to tell him, Levi pressed the 'up' button with his nose and was the first one in the elevator once the doors opened.

Sue, Tara and Lucy giggled.

"You think he knows where he is?" Tara whispered to Sue.

Sue nodded. "Yup. And he's glad to be back too."  
The elevator doors opened onto the fifth floor and Sue quickened her pace. At the end of the hall, she could see the doors to the bullpen, her office. Lucy and Tara smiled at each other as Sue went faster and they caught up quickly.

"Wait," they stopped her before she went in. Then, they opened the doors themselves. "Guys!" Lucy called out, motioning for silence. "May I have your attention, please?"

When everyone quieted down, Lucy smiled. "I would like to re-introduce everyone to one of our good friends; Miss Sue Thomas!!"

Sue stepped in the doors then, a big smile on her face. She didn't get to see much however before someone threw themselves at her. She was just as surprised as anyone when she realized that it was Leonard.

"I'm glad you're safe," he said, stepping back, finally.

Sue smiled, and nodded before turning to everyone else.

Dimitrius came forward first, smiling and holding out his hands.

Sue hugged him.

"Glad you're back," he said simply, patting her on the shoulder.

"Hey sheila," the Australian said, accepting a hug and kiss on the cheek from his missing friend. "Good to have you back," he said.  
"It's good to be back," Sue replied. She turned, looking behind Bobby and saw Jack, standing casually against his desk, drinking a cup of coffee.

"Hello Jack," she said quietly.

"Hi."

The rest of the bullpen seemed to get suddenly noisy and crowded, everyone moving away from the two agents.

Sue wanted to say something to him, her eyes wide and expressive, but she was afraid. He had been with Wendy when she left for New York, it had been getting serious. Sue hated to admit it, even to herself, but it was part of the reason why she left. "Where's Wendy?" she asked, trying to keep her voice normal.

Jack sighed. He knew that was coming. "She's gone," he said. "She left after I broke up with her."

"Oh."

"I missed you Sue," Jack said, coming forward and taking her hands. "I hated it when you transferred to New York."

"Oh?"

Jack nodded. "The office wasn't the same without you around," he said. "It was…empty."  
Sue nodded, unable to speak. Her hands were still in Jack's, but he didn't seem to notice.

"I'm sorry that you left," he said. "And I understand if you would rather spend your first day back with Lucy and Tara or…Leonard," Jack's mouth twisted and Sue smiled.

"But I was hoping…I mean…I would like…."  
"Yes?" Sue was amused. Jack Hudson rarely had trouble with words.

"Levi, would you like to go out to dinner?" Jack asked, turning to the dog at Sue's side.

Sue suppressed a smile. "What was that Levi?" she asked. "He says…yes," she said.

Jack's eyes lit up. "Great," he said. "I-I'll pick you up at Lucy's at…seven?"

Sue nodded. "Seven will be great." She took a deep breath. "Jack?" she said.

Jack leaned close. "Yes?"

"I—" Sue began. "It's good to be back."

Jack looked disappointed but covered it up quickly. "Yeah," he said. "It's good to have you back."


	19. Chapter 19

"Well?" Lucy came into Sue's room later than night.

"Well what?" Sue asked, sitting on her bed in her bathrobe.   
"What are you going to wear tonight?" Lucy asked. Sue had already told her about the dinner with Jack that night.

Sue sighed. "I don't know," she moaned. "I left all my clothes in New York."

Lucy smiled. "It's okay. Here, you can borrow one of my dresses."  
Sue followed Lucy into her bedroom and to the closet. She laughed. "It's practically all dresses!" she cried.  
Lucy nodded. "So you have lots to choose from," she winked. "I'll leave you to it," she added, patting Sue's shoulder. "Call me in when you're dressed and I can help you with your hair."

Sue nodded her thanks to her friend and turned back to survey the huge closet. There were lots of dresses in here and she didn't have the faintest idea which one to pick. Pushing some aside, she reached to the very far left of the closet. Her finger's brushed against a silky material. Pulling it out, Sue gasped. It was perfect! The dress was a flowing blue thing. It was strapless and had a V-neck that dipped down—but not too low. The dress came down just past her knees and shimmered every time she moved it. Taking off her robe, Sue slipped into it, smiling as she examined her reflection in the mirror. The dress did look good. In the light blue, there were little sparkles all over and when Sue moved, the fabric whispered along with her. "Lucy!" Sue called.

Lucy came in and stopped, eyes wide. "Sue! You look…amazing!" she squealed.

"Do you really think so?" Sue asked, looking down at herself.

Lucy nodded emphatically. "You are a princess!" she said.

Sue smiled and a blush rose to her cheeks. "Thanks," she said.

Lucy smiled back. "I think you should leave your hair down," she said, coming forward to take charge of her friend's hair and makeup. "Just a little brush here, a twist there and…voila! Now," Lucy frowned, "The make up. Not too much, just something simple. Here, I'll put on a little mascara, lip gloss, some eye shadow and…you're done!"

Sue checked her watch. It was ten to seven. "Well, I guess I'm ready," she said, a little unsteadily.

Lucy smiled and patted Sue's cheek comfortingly. "You look beautiful Sue," she signed reassuringly.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Lucy went to open it while Sue got her purse and put on a pair of black, sparkling sandals.

Bobby was at the door. "Hey Luce you ready to—woah." Bobby said, stopping short.

Sue blushed and Lucy grinned.

"Doesn't she look fabulous?" Lucy asked, proud of her work.

Bobby nodded. "How do you sign 'wow?'" he asked.

Sue laughed and shook her head. "Are you guys going out?" she asked.   
Lucy nodded as Bobby was still incapable of speech. "Bobby's picking me up and we're meeting Tara, Myles and D at a restaurant for dinner. Isn't that right Bobby?" she asked, elbowing him.

"Huh? What? Yeah, that's right," Bobby said, tearing his gaze away from Sue. "So Lucy, ready to go then?"

Lucy looked back at Sue who nodded. "Yeah, I'm ready. I'll just go grab my purse. Be right back," she said.

"Jack is one lucky guy," Bobby said.

Sue rolled her eyes and hit him on the arm. "Stop it. It's Levi who's going out, not me."

Bobby looked confused. "Jack asked Levi out?"

Sue nodded, smiling.

Bobby, catching on, rolled his eyes too and then smiled. "Well Levi, Jack's a lucky man," he said, kneeling down to talk seriously with the dog.

Levi barked and put his paw on Bobby's knee.

Sue laughed and pushed Bobby's shoulder, causing him to fall backwards. "You're just being silly," she assured him.

Bobby got up, still grinning, and dusted himself off. "Maybe," he said.


	20. Chapter 20

Jack walked up the apartment steps quickly, anxious for the dinner—or so he told himself. He wouldn't admit that it was Sue he wanted to see. He couldn't admit that he didn't want her to go back to New York. Jack ran a hand over the petals of the white rose he had picked up on the way over. He hoped she would like it.   
Taking a deep breath, he rang the bell.

A grinning Bobby opened it. "Hey mate, fancy meeting you here," Bobby said.

Jack opened his eyes. "Ummm, hi."

Sue elbowed Bobby out of the way. "Hi Jack," she said, glaring up at Bobby.

Jack's mouth fell open which Sue took as a good sign. A flush rose to her cheeks as Jack looked at her.

She was beautiful! Her hair curled slightly down at her shoulders, her dress moved with her perfectly and her eyes were lit up with excitement and pleasure. Jack cleared his throat. "Uhhh, hi," he said.

Sue smiled. "Bobby, Lucy and the others are going out for a celebratory dinner," Sue explained.

"Ahhh," Jack nodded. "What happened to the celebratory breakfast?"

"You don't eat breakfast at night, mate," Bobby said, shaking his head as if Jack had just asked a stupid question.

Jack rolled his eyes and turned back to Sue. "All right then, shall we go?"

Sue nodded, calling Levi to heel and waving goodbye to Bobby. "See you tomorrow!" she called, knowing the breakfast was still on.

The two walked down the hall, Jack, offering Sue his arm. He liked the feel of her hand in his, of how right it felt. "You look…great," Jack said.

Sue smiled up at Jack. "Thanks," she signed.

"You're welcome. I hope you like Italian," Jack added as they got outside.

Sue nodded.

"Good. I made a reservation at that little Italian place a couple blocks from here."

Sue's eyes opened wide. "But that place is impossible to get into!"

Jack grinned, his black eyes dancing. "Not for an F.B.I agent."

Sue laughed and got in Jack's car, Levi sitting in the back.

They talked about meaningless trivialities on the way to the restaurant, keeping up a steady stream of banter the whole way there.   
When the waiter showed the couple to their seat, Sue was laughing. "I've missed this," she said.

"Missed what?" Jack asked, taking a sip of the red wine that the waiter poured for him.

"Talking like this," she said.

"Don't you talk in New York?" Jack asked.

"Not like this. I'm still the new kid on the block over there. I know it's been a while already since I moved but…this still feels like home to me."

Jack nodded. Both stopped talking while they chose what to eat and then resumed after the waiter had left. "Do you like being back with Lucy again?" Jack asked.

Sue nodded. "I missed her. I don't have a room mate in New York. It gets kind of lonely sometimes."

"But you have Levi," Jack said, pointing at the dog sitting patiently at Sue's side.

Sue nodded and smiled, scratching Levi behind the ear. "Yes, I have Levi," she said.


	21. Chapter 21

Dinner came soon and the conversation was kept light as they ate. Sue had the distinct impression that there was a strain between her and Jack, one she couldn't quite put her finger on. She hoped that he would come out and say whatever was bothering him soon.

"So. Leonard," Jack said.

Sue nodded. "What about him?"

"Is he a good partner?"  
"Yes and no. He's not very experienced. He isn't—always very good," Sue said quickly, blushing. She had almost said, 'he isn't you'!

"We could see that," Jack said wryly. "Are you going to go back with him?"

Sue shook her head and Jack's heart leapt. "He's going back soon. I want to spend more time here, with my friends." Sue wasn't sure how Jack would take it if she said that she wasn't sure she was going back at all. She had spoken to Garrett, the team supervisor, that afternoon and he had told her that there was still a spot for her on the team.

"I'm glad," Jack said, taking one of Sue's hands in his.

"Me too," Sue said, licking her dry lips.

"I missed you, Sue," Jack said, not looking at Sue's face, but down at their interlocked fingers.

"I missed you too, Jack. I-I didn't really want to leave."

"Then why did you?" Jack's gaze snapped up to Sue's face at her confession.  
"It was a job," Sue shrugged, trying to avoid the man's intense gaze.

Jack shook his head. "You've had job offers before. Why did you accept this one?"   
"Because of you," Sue whispered, finally deciding to come clean and tell the truth.

Jack had had to lean in to hear Sue's answer and, when he did, he sat back in his chair, stunned. "What?"

"You were with Wendy," Sue said quietly, hoping that he wouldn't make her explain what she meant.

Jack moaned and rubbed the back of his neck. "You thought we were gonna last?"

Sue nodded. "She was really serious about you Jack. And you liked her."

Jack shook his head. "All this time….I broke up with Wendy right after you left, Sue," he said.

"You did?" Sue was surprised.

"Something was missing after you left. I didn't realize till later that I was missing you. After you were gone…Wendy and I didn't have a connection anymore. She was smart and pretty, sure, but…she wasn't you."

Sue's eyes went wide when he said that. "Wh-what did you say?" she stuttered.

Jack took Sue's hand again. "She wasn't you. She was a good agent and a good partner, but…we didn't have the same type of connection or communication abilities that you and I did. Do. I hope we still do," Jack said earnestly.

Sue smiled. "We do," she assured him. Her eyes were bright when she looked at him, twinkling brightly with a hidden energy. "I missed you," she said.

Jack smiled and, as they stood up to leave, kissed her cheek. "I missed you too," he said.

Sue smiled and touched her cheek before taking the hand that Jack offered her. Together, they walked back to Jack's car and drove back to her apartment building in silence.

"Thank you for the wonderful night, Jack," Sue said as they stood on the steps.

"You're welcome." The light had gone out of Jack's eyes.

"What's wrong?" Sue asked, worried.

"I guess this is good-bye," he said, looking down at his feet, and then up at her with sad, beaten eyes.

Sue smiled and shook her head. "It's not."

"I understand of course," Jack went on as if she hadn't spoken. "You need to get home to New York." He had hoped that during dinner, Sue had heard what he was trying to say, but obviously she hadn't.

"Jack."  
"Leonard will be glad to have his partner back."

"Jack…."

"I'm sure that you'll make a great team."

"Jack?"

"Bye Sue," Jack said tiredly.

"Jack!" Sue said in frustration, grabbing onto his sleeve. "Don't you dare leave!" she told him, her eyes flashing. "I am not going back to New York, I am staying here. Garrett said I could have my job back and I'm going to move in with Lucy again. I couldn't leave again, not after seeing all of you. I couldn't leave you again. It hurt too much the first time. I'm staying here Jack, so you'll just have to put up with me."

Jack looked at Sue, confused. "You're…staying here?" he said slowly.

When Sue nodded it was like a light bulb went on inside Jack's head. "Oh Sue!" he said, hugging her.

Sue hugged him back, glad that she had gotten her point across. When they stepped away, Sue smiled. "I was wondering when you would catch on," she said.

"To what?"

Sue rolled her eyes and shook her head, smiling. "Oh nothing."


End file.
